Liverpool have travelled to Austria to kick off their Europa League campaign against LASK, and Jurgen Klopp is facing some difficult decisions on his team selection.
The Reds will be keen to make a positive start to their return to the European stage this evening after failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, and a convincing victory over their Austrian hosts will be widely expected.
Liverpool remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season with a great start to their domestic campaign following the arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo, so Klopp will be hoping that his team can keep up their good run of form in Europe.
In terms of injuries, the Europa League opener will come too soon for Trent Alexander-Arnold who is continuing his hamstring injury recovery programme, whilst Thiago Alcantara and Conor Bradley will also remain unavailable for selection as they fight to return to fitness.
A huge boost is delivered in the form of new club captain Virgil van Dijk, who has now served his two-match suspension after being sent off against Newcastle United before the international break and incurring a further ban due to his altercation with the referee.
How could Liverpool line up vs LASK?
We predict that the Liverpool boss will make seven changes to his team that beat Wolverhampton Wanderers last Saturday, maintaining his classic 4-3-3 formation…
The first changes we expect to see are in the defensive set up with Kostas Tsimikas joining an otherwise unchanged back four with Jarell Quansah, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, whilst Caoimhin Kelleher will replace Alisson Becker in goal.
In midfield, we predict that Klopp will give opportunities to those who have been lesser featured in the midfield since the arrival of the unstoppable Szoboszlai and reliable Mac Allister, with Harvey Elliot, Stefan Bajcetic and newly signed star Ryan Gravenberch being given the nod in Austria.
In the final third, we expect to see Cody Gakpo retaining his role in the centre whilst Diogo Jota and teenage sensation Ben Doak will join him in the wider positions, giving Klopp the opportunity to get another look at the young and exciting Scotsman in Mohamed Salah’s role on the right side.
Should Klopp opt for this starting eleven it will not only give those experienced players who see limited game time their chance to shine, but will give the manager the chance to take a closer look at many of the young talents available to him over both the Premier League and Europa League campaigns ahead.
With that being said, there is no reason why this youthful yet talented team can’t take all three points from their first group stage game this evening and will give Liverpool supporters a glimpse at the future prospects who could soon become strong contenders to compete and replace the superstars who hold their first team positions.
